A menacing 50-degree slope and 9,000 feet straight down: that’s the terrain American mountaineer Jim Morrison tackled when he became the first person to ski the most difficult route on Everest, the infamous Hornbein Couloir on the peak’s North Face.
His historic October 15 descent was captured by National Geographic Explorer and photographer Jimmy Chin, who is directing a National Geographic documentary with Chai Vasarhelyi on Morrison’s death-defying achievement.
September 18, 2024 – The North Face of Mount Everest.
Savannah Cummins, National Geographic
“For ski mountaineering, the North Face of Everest is the biggest objective,” Morrison told National Geographic after his four hour and five-minute descent, describing the conditions on the slope as “abominable after a week of wind hammering. But I still got in some incredible skiing—really great turns and an ultra-scary, ultra-beautiful descent. It’s the greatest run on planet Earth.
“It’s super steep and unrelenting from top to bottom, and it runs through this tiny, aesthetic couloir. It’s more than a mile long and just massive, dark, and beautiful in scale.”
Before Morrison’s groundbreaking achievement, the Hornbein Couloir was considered one of the last great lines to elude ski mountaineers. Previous attempts to ski or snowboard along the Hornbein Couloir ended tragically, with injuries and fatalities.
“I’m ecstatic. I’m exhausted. I’m just super emotional—really psyched to be down and done with this epic mission and so proud of my team,” Morrison said. “So fired up that we pulled it off.”
Jim Morrison at ABC camp on the North Face of Everest, September 24, 2024. Morrison is a celebrated ski mountai